The scale for each assignment, quiz, or exam below is created after the assignment, quiz, or exam is graded. These are the cutoffs that will inserted into the announced grading formulas to determine the "raw score" cutoffs for final grades.The cutoffs given below are the bottom for the "flat" grade, not the minus grade. (For example, if the cutoff listed for a B is 50 points, then 50 is a B and 49 is a B-). The A- cutoff is 1/3 of the way down from the A cutoff to the B cutoff, the B+ cutoff is 1/3 of the way up from the B cutoff to the A cutoff, the B- cutoff is 1/3 of the way down from the B cutoff to the C cutoff, etc. (except that I do not give D-'s; anything lower than the D cutoff is an E).
A cutoff like "17.5" in a grade-scale does not mean that any half-points were given to any student on the corresponding assignment or exam; it simply means that I thought 18 was too high for the cutoff and 17 was too low.
Each average below, except for homework totals, was computed from the scores of only those students who took that exam or who turned in that assignment. For homework scores, the averages do not incorporate any penalty-points that may have been assessed. The average for total homework points was computed just from currently-registered students.
Homework
Scores (and cutoffs) for the different assignments are simply added together at the end of the semester. Example: if there are only two homework assignments, worth 25 points and 30 points respectively, and the "A" cutoffs are 22 and 26 respectively, then the "A" cutoff for the homework component of the final grade is 48 out of a possible 55. A student earning 24 points on each of the two homeworks would have the same homework grade as a student earning 18 points on the first assignment and 30 points on the second.
A B C D class average Assignment 1 (39 points) 32.5
(83%)26.5
(68%)20
(51%)14
(36%)28.4
(73%)Assignment 2 (54 points) 47
(87%)39.5
(73%)31
(57%)24.5
(45%)42.7
(79%)Assignment 4 (35 points) 29.5
(84%)21.5
(61%)15
(43%)10.5
(30%)26.4
(75%)Assignment 6 (27 points) 25
(93%)22
(81%)15
(56%)10.5
(39%)26.4
(75%)Assignment 7 (32 points) 27
(84%)22
(69%)13
(41%)8.5
(27%)23.7
(74%)Homework totals (187 points) 161
(86%)131.5
(70%)94
(50%)68
(36%)145
(78%)
Midterm Exams
A B C D class median class average Exam 1 (104 points) 89
(86%)70.5
(68%)47.5
(46%)26.5
(25%)60
(58%)55.4
(53%)list of scores Exam 2 (100 points) 87.5
(88%)75
(75%)54.5
(55%)37
(37%)77
(77%)70.9
(71%)list of scores
Final Exam (166 points)
A B C D class median class average Final Exam (166) points) 142.5
(86%)119
(72%)82.5
(50%)57
(34%)108
(65%)105
(63%)list of scores
Raw-score cutoffs for each grade
See Canvas "Assignment" and syllabus for explanation. "Current" means "As of the last exam or homework whose grade-scale is above."
max possible to date A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D 1000 862 812 762 712 641 571 500 446 391 337
Distribution of final grades for course
A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D E Number of students receiving grade 1 2 3 1 3 4 1 2 0 0 4 None of the four students who received E's took the final exam. Three of them took none of the exams (and two never handed in any homework either), but were still on the grading roster. Often this happens when a petition to drop is still in process when grades are due.